SARNIA, Ontario – Canada White has won back-to-back gold medals at the U17 World Challenge after defeating Canada Red 3-1 in the gold medal game on Saturday evening.

After a scoreless opening period, Canada White found the back of the net twice in 3:02 to take a 2-0 lead. Jean-Christoph Lemieux (Belleville, ON/Windsor, OHL) opened the scoring before Mathis Preston (Penticton, BC/Spokane, WHL) buried a one-timer that stood as the game-winner with less than five minutes remaining in the second period. Preston’s clincher was his tournament-leading sixth goal.

“This is the best feeling in the world, and I am so proud of these guys. We had to face a bit of adversity throughout the tournament, but I am so happy we were able to [win gold] today,” said Preston. “The puck was not going in for me in the preliminary round, but I kind of broke through in the medal round and I am happy I was able to contribute. I could not have done it without such great teammates around me.”

Adam Valentini (Toronto, ON/Chicago, USHL) rounded out the scoring for White less than four minutes into the third period, firing a shot from the slot past Canada Red netminder Carter Esler (Okotoks, AB/Spokane, WHL). Red would pull within two on a Braidy Wassilyn (Campbellville, ON/Niagara, OHL) goal, but it fell short as White goaltender Gavin Betts (Toronto, ON/Pickering, OJHL) turned in an exceptional 38-save performance.

“This feels surreal. Representing Canada and winning a gold medal is something that I have dreamed about since I was a young kid, and to be able to take in this moment with our group is an incredible feeling,” said Betts. “I do not think I will every forget the moments we experienced at this tournament, and it has been an incredible experience getting to wear the Maple Leaf.”

“Everything started to click for us in our quarterfinal game. Going through the loss against Sweden [to finish the preliminary round] made us stronger and prepared us for the gold medal game, and I believe that helped us come out on top,” said Canada White head coach Mathieu Turcotte (Kirkland, QC/Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL). “I am extremely proud of our guys, and I think our team had one of the best performances I have ever seen, especially considering these are 16-year-olds in a high-pressure game. They are champions for life and they all deserve it.”

A full game summary game be found HERE. 

Following the gold medal game, Hockey Canada announced the 2024 U17 World Challenge all-star team:

• Goaltender – Betts, Canada White
• Defence – Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, AB/Victoria, WHL), Canada Red
• Defence – Landon DuPont (Calgary, AB/Everett, WHL), Canada Red
• Forward – Preston, Canada White
• Forward – Marcus Nordmark, Sweden
• Forward – Victor Plante, United States

Sweden defeats U.S. 5-4 in overtime to win bronze; Finland finishes in fifth place

Earlier in the day, Sweden rebounded from a 6-4 loss to Canada White in the semifinals to win the bronze medal for the second year in a row, defeating the United States 5-4 in overtime. 

Elton Hermansson was the overtime hero, firing a shot past American goaltender Luke Carrithers on a breakaway 16 seconds into the extra frame to secure Sweden’s 10th medal at the U17 World Challenge, and sixth bronze.

The teams traded goals in the first period before Vilgot Lidén gave Sweden a 3-2 lead just over two minutes into the middle frame. Casey Mutryn evened the score on the power play less than five minutes into the third before Nils Bartholdsson netted a power-play goal of his own to give the Swedes a 4-3 lead. With less than two minutes remaining and the American net empty, Mutryn jammed home his second of the afternoon to send the game to overtime.

In the fifth-place game, Vilho Vanhatalo netted the lone goal 3:33 into the second period to secure a 1-0 win for Finland over Czechia. Oskari Ahmajärvi turned in a 28-save shutout, while Martin Psohlavec made 31 saves for the Czechs.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the U17 World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the 44 players who will wear the Maple Leaf with Canada Red and Canada White at the 2024 U17 World Challenge, set for Nov. 3-9 at Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia, Ontario.

The rosters were selected by U17 head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations. Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations also provided input, along with regional scouts Pierre Cholette (Quebec), Rob Simpson (Ontario), Darren Sutherland (Atlantic) and Darrell Woodley (Ontario), as well as Member representatives.

All 44 players have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams (21 from the OHL, 15 from the WHL and eight from the QMJHL), while 15 represented Canada at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (Chartrand, Croskery, Di Iorio, Edwards, Ellsworth, Esler, Lawrence, Lin, Preston, Wassilyn, L. Ruck, M. Ruck, Rudolph, Valentini, Verhoeff).

“Following a competitive summer camp and exciting start to the CHL season, we are thrilled to unveil the 44 athletes that will take the next step in the Program of Excellence and represent Canada at the U17 World Challenge,” Roy said. “We believe we have assembled two strong teams that will give us the best chance to defend our gold medal, and we know all 44 players are excited to wear the Maple Leaf with Canada Red and Canada White in Sarnia next month.”

The 2024 U17 World Challenge kicks off on Nov. 3, with Canada White taking on Czechia at 3:30 p.m. ET and Canada Red facing off against Finland at 7:30 p.m. ET. Teams will play two preliminary-round games before the medal round, which concludes on Nov. 9 with the medal games, as well as the fifth-place game. The event will also feature pre-tournament games in Sarnia, Petrolia and Forest on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. ET.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the bronze and gold medal games; check local listings for details.

Fans looking to secure their seat to watch the top under-17 players from five countries can purchase a variety of ticket options at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets, with full-event ticket packages starting as low as $140 for youth and $210 for adults (plus fees). A Group A or Group B three-game package is also available starting as low as $50 (plus fees), as well as a seven-game medal round package that starts at $130 (plus fees) and includes one ticket to both quarterfinals, both semifinals, the placement game, and the bronze and gold medal games. Pending availability, single-game tickets will be available in the coming weeks.

As a legacy of hosting the event, Sarnia will receive net proceeds from all ticket sales to support grassroots hockey within the community.

More than 2,000 NHL draft picks have suited up since the inception of the U17 World Challenge (previously known as the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and Quebec Esso Cup) in 1986, including 17 first-overall draft picks since 2001 (Ilya Kovalchuk, 2001; Rick Nash, 2002; Marc-André Fleury, 2003; Alexander Ovechkin, 2004; Erik Johnson, 2006; Patrick Kane, 2007; John Tavares, 2009; Taylor Hall, 2010, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 2011; Nathan MacKinnon, 2013; Aaron Ekblad, 2014; Connor McDavid, 2015; Auston Matthews, 2016; Jack Hughes, 2019; Alexis Lafrenière, 2020; Owen Power, 2021; Macklin Celebrini, 2024).

For more information on Hockey Canada and the U17 World Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has announced the three Canadian Hockey League (CHL) general managers that will make up the Program of Excellence management group for the 2024-25 season.

Yanick Lemay (Drummondville, QC/Drummondville, QMJHL) will make his debut as a member of the POE management group, guiding the under-17 program through the 2024 U17 World Challenge in Sarnia, Ontario, while Dave Brown (Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON/Erie, OHL) returned to the POE for the second year in a row, serving as under-18 lead by helping Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team win its third-straight gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton in August. Peter Anholt (Naicam, SK/Lethbridge, WHL) is part of the management group for the fourth-consecutive season and leading the under-20 program for the second time in as many years, advising Canada’s National Junior Team through the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

In addition, Team Canada alumni Kyle Turris (New Westminster, BC) and Brent Seabrook (Tsawwassen, BC) have joined the management group of the under-17 and under-20 programs, respectively. Turris will work alongside Lemay, making his management debut, while Seabrook returns to the under-20 program for the second-straight year to work alongside Anholt. 

“We are grateful for Yanick, Dave, Peter, Kyle and Brent’s commitment and dedication to the Program of Excellence, as these three general managers and two recognized alumni bring a wealth of experience and leadership to Hockey Canada’s under-17, under-18 and under-20 programs,” said Scott Salmond (Creston, BC), senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations. “The POE has been successful to start the new season, with Dave helping our under-18 program capture gold on home ice, and we know Yanick, Kyle, Peter and Brent are excited to continue to contribute to Canada’s success on the international stage in the coming months.”

Lemay is currently in his second season as general manager of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Last season, he helped lead the Voltigeurs to a 102-point season, winning the Trophée Gilles-Courteau as QMJHL champions and earning a spot in the Memorial Cup. Prior to joining Drummondville, he served as an amateur scout with the Winnipeg Jets for 12 seasons (2011-23), was the head scout of the QMJHL’s Montréal Junior for three seasons (2008-11), and spent 10 seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as a scout (1998-2002) and head scout (2002-08).

Brown guided the under-17 program in 2023-24, helping Canada White to a gold medal at the 2023 U17 World Challenge. He is currently in his 10th season (2015-24) as general manager of the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after serving four seasons as director (2014-15) and assistant director (2011-14) of hockey operations with the team. Brown led Erie to an OHL championship in 2017, and contributed to a CHL record of four-consecutive 50-win seasons (2011-15). Prior to joining the Otters, he spent seven seasons with the Mississauga/Niagara IceDogs, serving as assistant general manager (2003-05) and general manager (2005-10).

Anholt led the under-20 program last season, as well as the under-18 program for two seasons (2021-23), helping Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team win a gold medal at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He is currently in his ninth full season (2015-24) as general manager of the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) after being promoted from assistant general manager in 2014. Anholt also spent time as head coach of the Hurricanes for part of the 2014-15 season, and has won the WHL Executive of the Year award twice (2015-16, 2019-20). He brings a wealth of WHL experience as a head coach, assistant coach and scout, including stints with the Prince Albert Raiders (1986-89, 2002-07), Seattle Thunderbirds (1989-92, 2012-14), Red Deer Rebels (1992-95, 1998-2000, 2007-08, 2011-12) and Kelowna Rockets (1996-98).

Turris played in 776 NHL games over 14 seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes (2008-11), Ottawa Senators (2011-17), Nashville Predators (2017-20) and Edmonton Oilers (2020-22), amassing 424 points (168 goals, 256 assists). He suited up for Canada at all levels of the POE, winning gold medals at the 2006 U18 Junior World Cup and 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship, and won gold with Canada West at the inaugural World Junior A Challenge in 2006, where he led the tournament in scoring and was named Most Valuable Player. Turris also played at three IIHF World Championships (2014, 2018, 2019), serving as captain and winning a silver medal in 2019.

Seabrook played in 1,114 NHL games over 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks (2005-20), recording 464 career points (103 goals, 361 assists), serving as an alternate captain for 11 seasons and winning the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015). He won a silver medal at the 2002 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, gold medals at the 2002 Eight Nations Cup and 2003 IIHF World U18 Championship, and gold (2005) and silver (2004) at the IIHF World Junior Championship. Seabrook also suited up for Canada at the 2006 IIHF World Championship and won gold at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Prior to his professional career, he played four WHL seasons (2001-05) for Lethbridge, serving as Hurricanes captain for two seasons (2003-05).

The management group will work alongside Salmond, Benoit Roy (Sudbury, ON), director of hockey operations, U20 head scout Al Murray (Regina, SK), U17 head scout Byron Bonora (Brooks, AB) and Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON), player development coach, as well as the organization’s hockey operations staff. Day-to-day operations for the POE management group include assisting in coach and player selections, supporting the coaching staffs and providing input during camps and tournaments throughout the season.

The Program of Excellence is overseen by Katherine Henderson (Thunder Bay, ON), Hockey Canada’s president and chief executive officer; Pat McLaughlin (Saint John, NB), Hockey Canada’s chief operating officer and executive vice-president, strategy; Salmond; Roy; Dan MacKenzie (Guelph, ON), CHL president; Bryan Crawford (Hamilton, ON), OHL commissioner; Mario Cecchini (Saint-Lambert, QC), QMJHL commissioner; and Dan Near (Markham, ON), WHL commissioner.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the schedules and ticket package details for the 2024 editions of the U17 World Challenge, U18 Women’s National Championship and Para Cup.

In addition, Hockey Canada has also announced that tickets are now on sale for the 2024 Junior A World Challenge, which is set to take place at Encana Arena in Camrose, Alberta, from Dec. 9-15, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and National Hockey League (NHL). The schedule and format for this year’s event will be announced at a later date.

“The unveiling of the schedules and ticket packages for our fall events is an exciting milestone, as the anticipation for the puck to drop continues to build while allowing fans and community members to plan their involvement in world-class events across the country,” said Dean McIntosh, senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact for Hockey Canada. “Hosting major events is not possible without the commitment and passion of these great communities, and we are grateful for the community leaders, volunteers, partners and our Members who make these events possible.”

The U17 World Challenge returns as a six-team format for the second-straight year, with Sarnia, Ontario, hosting at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena from Nov. 3-9. The teams — Canada Red, Canada White, Czechia, Finland, Sweden and the United States — will be split into two groups and will each play two preliminary-round games before the medal round. The event will also feature pre-tournament games in Sarnia, Petrolia and Forest on Nov. 1.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, the U18 Women’s National Championship will be held in Atlantic Canada. Eight teams consisting of the top under-18 players in Canada — Alberta, Atlantic, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario Blue, Ontario Red, Québec and Saskatchewan —will descend on the qplex in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, from Nov. 3-9.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of ParaSport and Recreation PEI, the Para Cup returns to the East Coast for the second straight year (2023 in Quispamsis, New Brunswick), with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team looking to secure its second-straight gold medal in international competition at the Bell Aliant Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Canada will compete against China, Czechia and the United States from Dec. 8-14.

Full-event ticket packages for the U17 World Challenge, U18 Women’s National Championship, Para Cup and Junior A World Challenge are on sale now and can be purchased at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets.

Fans that purchase a full-event ticket package to any fall event before Sept. 20 will be entered into a contest to win a 2025 World Juniors prize package. The prize package includes two tickets to both semifinals and the medal games, at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, as well as hotel accommodations for two nights and two $100 Hockey Canada merchandise vouchers.

Hockey Canada and the local organizing committees of its fall events are currently looking to fill several volunteer positions for all four events. Individuals that are interested in creating a world-class experience for players and fans alike are encouraged to CLICK HERE to learn more about Hockey Canada’s volunteer program or visit the individual event pages to apply now.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcasters of Hockey Canada, will air select tournament games, with broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

For more information on Hockey Canada, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along through social media on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

EDMONTON, Alberta – Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team has won the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, edging Czechia 2-1 in the gold medal game Saturday night at Rogers Place.

It’s the third year in a row Canada has won the annual summer under-18 tournament, and the 25th time in 32 tries dating back to 1991.

Liam Kilfoil (Quispamsis, NB/Chicoutimi, LHJMQ) opened the scoring for Canada just over six minutes into the first period, potting his second goal of the tournament and giving the Canadians a lead they would not relinquish.

“Canada’s expectations are always to win,” said head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna, BC/Kelowna, WHL). “I’m so proud of the group in there. It’s amazing to see all of the coaches’ ideas come to fruition and be on display in a short tournament like this. I’m happy to be able to achieve this with this group…and to win for the third year in a row is extra special.”

Caleb Desnoyers (Saint-Hyacinthe, QC/Moncton, LHJMQ), scored the eventual game-winning goal with 52 seconds left in the opening frame.

Czechia drew within one on a power play with less than 10 seconds remaining, but Jack Ivankovic (Mississauga, ON/Brampton, OHL) locked things down, backstopping the Canadians with an 18-save performance. Ivankovic was lights out for Canada, finishing with four wins to go along with a 0.75 goals-against average and .967 save percentage. He’s just the second goaltender in Canadian summer U18 tournament history to appear in four games and fashion a sub-1.00 GAA, joining Scott Ratzlaff (2022).

 “Singing that anthem with all the boys is a memory we will never forget,” said Ivankovic. “It’s my favourite song tonight, that’s for sure. We came out of the gate flying. We knew it would be a hard game with a gold medal on the line, but we just kept working and got it done.”

A full game summary can be found at HlinkaGretzkyCup.ca.

“This is every kid’s dream [to win a gold medal for Canada],” said alternate captain Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, YT/Medicine Hat, WHL). We are all so proud to wear this Maple Leaf… we battled hard all week long, and to win this with this group is something we will remember forever.”

Canada finished the preliminary round in first place in Group A after wins over Switzerland (10-0), Slovakia (5-1) and Sweden (2-1). It earned its spot in the gold medal game with a 5-1 win over the United States in the semifinals.

Cole Reschny (Macklin, SK/Victoria, WHL) and Émile Guité (Chambly, QC/Chicoutimi, LHJMQ) finished as Canada’s co-leaders in scoring, recording three goals and four assists apiece.

Sweden wins bronze

Earlier in the day, Sweden won the bronze medal with a 6-2 win over the United States.

Eric Nilson led the offence with a hat trick, while Love Härenstam made 34 saves. 

It is the eighth time Sweden has won summer U18 bronze, and 13th medal overall.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, please visit hlinkagretzkycup.ca or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram. 

Four wins down, one to go for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which – for the second year in a row – faces off against Czechia in the gold medal game at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Last Game

Canada moved into another gold medal game by beating the United States 5-1 in Friday’s late semifinal. Jack Ivankovic was terrific in a 28-save performance, and five different players – Cameron Schmidt, Alex Huang, Cole Reschny, Luca Romano and Gavin McKenna – scored goals as the Canadians beat their North American neighbours in the semis for the second year in a row.

The Czechs booked their place in the final with a 5-1 semifinal win over Sweden. Vit Zahejsky led the charge with a two goals and an assist, his first capping off a three-goals-in-11-minutes stretch that put Czechia in control. Adam Benak added a goal and an assist, while Ondrej Stebetek finished with 18 saves.

Last Meeting

The teams met a week ago in pre-tournament play, with the Czechs earning a 6-4 win. Cameron Schmidt had a goal and an assist to pace the Canadians, but two Czechia goals in a span of 10 seconds with less than seven minutes to go proved to be the difference.

As mentioned, this gold medal game is a rematch of the 2023 final, an overtime thriller that ended in a 3-2 Canadian victory. After the Czechs forced extra time with just 4:47 left, Malcolm Spence provided the heroics for Canada, scoring with seven seconds left in the overtime period to give Canada a 24th summer U18 gold.

What to Watch

If Friday’s win – and the tournament as a whole – has shown us anything, it’s how deep the Canadian lineup truly is. Every night, it seems as if someone new is stepping up to provide offence. Through four games, 17 of 20 Canadian skaters have at least a point, six are averaging at least a point a game and no one has scored more than three goals (Reschny, McKenna, Romano, Schmidt and Émile Guité have all reached that mark). The top defensive pairing of Huang and Matthew Schaefer has combined for 10 points, the ‘D’ corps as a whole has been terrific – allowing only three goals in four games – and Ivankovic has been lights out with a 0.67 goals-against average and .973 save percentage.

All eyes on Benak. After co-leading the tournament in scoring a year ago as an underager, the 5-foot-7 forward has been as good as advertised in Edmonton. His goal and assist against the Swedes gives him 10 points (4-6—10) in four games – the same number he had in 2023 and just one back of Swedish sniper Viktor Klingsell for the tournament lead. Benak has found the scoresheet in every game, highlighted by a hat trick and two helpers in a win over Germany on Tuesday. He’ll ply his trade in North America this season, joining the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms after producing a point-per-game (8-21—29 in 29 games) with HC Plzen in the Czech U20 league last year.

A Look Back

The Canadians and Czechs have been frequent foes in summer under-18 competition, facing off 24 times dating back to 1997 (Canada has won 20 of those 24).

That list includes six gold medal game meetings; in addition to last year’s win, the Canadians prevailed in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014 and 2017 (led by a goal and two assists from 2022 Olympian Jack McBain).

All-time record: Canada leads 20-2-2 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 109
Czechia goals: 45

It’s on to the medal round for Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team, which takes on the United States in an all-North American semifinal Friday night at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Last Game

Canada closed out an unblemished preliminary round with a 2-1 win over Sweden on Wednesday night. Benjamin Kindel got the scoring started seven minutes into the first period and Gavin McKenna provided the winner with 7:28 left in the third for the Canadians, who held off a late Swedish push to top Group A.

The Americans romped to a victory in their prelim finale, getting a goal and four assists from Alexander Donovan, and two goals and a helper apiece from Mason Moe, Sam Spehar and Nicolas Sykora in a 12-3 win over Germany. The U.S. took control with a six-goal second period, outshooting the Germans 21-1.

Last Meeting

The rivals met a year ago at this stage of the tournament, with Canada coming from behind for a 7-2 semifinal win in Trencin, Slovakia. Maxim Massé and Berkly Catton led the offence with two goals apiece for the Canadians, who scored six unanswered goals over the final 40 minutes, outshooting the Americans 29-13 over that span.

More recently, it was a Canada-U.S. gold medal game at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship last spring. McKenna was the star in that one, scoring a hat trick – including a pair of goals in the decisive third period – to lead the Canadians to a 6-4 comeback win for their fifth world title.

What to Watch

Jack Ivankovic has been lights out in the Canadian goal, allowing just a single goal across his two starts and keeping the Swiss and Swedes scoreless for more than 113 minutes to start the tournament. The Mississauga native has fashioned a tournament-leading 0.50 goals-against average and .977 save percentage, adding to his already-impressive international résumé; last November, he backstopped Canada White to a gold medal at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with a 2.51 GAA and .923 SV% across eight games, both tops among netminders who played at least three games, and making 34 saves in the gold medal game. He also earned a gold medal at U18 Worlds, serving as Canada’s third goaltender.

One of only two Canadian Hockey League players on the American roster, U.S. captain Blake Fiddler has felt right at home at Rogers Place. The 6-foot-4 defenceman, who plays his club hockey with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings, recorded a goal and two assists in the preliminary round, opening the scoring in Wednesday’s win over Germany. Fiddler will face a number of familiar faces in the semifinal; the Texas-born blue-liner won gold with Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge before trading in the Maple Leaf for the Stars and Stripes, and will line up Friday against nine players he won gold alongside in Charlottetown.

A Look Back

Canada has not lost to its North American neighbours in summer U18 competition since 2003, and has claimed victory in 13 of the 20 all-time meetings (with three ending in ties).

The Canadians and Americans met in a semifinal thriller when Edmonton hosted the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for the first time in 2018. Dylan Cozens tied things up with a buzzer-beater in the third period before Josh Williams scored in overtime, sending Canada to play for gold with a 6-5 victory.

All-time record: Canada leads 13-4-3 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 85
United States goals: 46

With its semifinal spot secured, Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team goes in search of a perfect preliminary round at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup when it takes on Sweden in the prelim finale Wednesday at Rogers Place.

Last Game

Canada stayed perfect and kept its hold on top spot in Group A on Tuesday night, beating Slovakia 5-1. Cameron Schmidt and Luca Romano led the way with two goals apiece, and Émile Guité added one of his own. The Canadians finished 2-for-3 with the power play and were perfect on four penalty kills, including a late five-minute major.

The Swedes flexed their offensive muscle on Tuesday, scoring four goals in each period in a 12-1 romp over Switzerland. Ivar Stenberg finished with four goals and three assists, Milton Gästrin had two goals and six helpers, and Viktor Klingsell added up two goals and five assists for Sweden, which finished with a 55-19 advantage in shots.

Last Meeting

The last meeting between the teams at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup came in the final prelim game in 2022 in Red Deer. Canada got goals from Calum Ritchie, Zach Benson and Brayden Yager, along with 18 saves from Scott Ratzlaff, to blank the Swedes 3-0 and finish perfect atop Group A.

Most recently, the Canadians and Swedes met in the semifinals of the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship last spring. A four-goal first period – highlighted by a goal and an assist each from Ryder Ritchie and Tij Iginla – seemingly put the Canadians in control, but a furious Swedish comeback provided a thrilling conclusion in what finished as a 5-4 win for Canada.

What to Watch

Wherever Matthew Schaefer goes, he leads. And wins. The No. 1 pick in the OHL Draft by the Erie Otters in 2023, the Hamilton native burst onto the national scene at the 2023 Canada Winter Games , wearing the ‘C’ with Ontario and scoring the overtime winner in the gold medal game. Nine months later, Schaefer again served as captain and again took home gold, this time with Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Then he won gold with Canada at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship (although there was no letter involved as an underager), and now he’s got the ‘C’ on his chest at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. So far, so good in Edmonton; Schaefer has two goals and two assists through two games, leading all defencemen in scoring.

A year ago, three players – Berkly Catton, Trevor Connelly and Adam Benak – led the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in scoring with 10 points in five games. Gästrin almost got there himself on Tuesday. The Örnsköldsvik native opened the scoring and added two assists in the first period, had another goal and two helpers in the second and finished his night with two more assists in the third as his line with Stenberg and Klingsell combined for a ridiculous 22 points in the win. The performance was all the more impressive when you consider Gästrin only recorded 16 points (7-9—16) in 41 games with MODO Hockey in Sweden’s U20 national league. What can the terrific trio do for an encore against Canada?

A Look Back

The head-to-head history has been one-sided in summer U18 competition, which may come as a surprise to some considering the place both countries hold as world hockey powers. But Canada has won 17 of 20 against the Swedes, including eight in a row dating back to 2013.

There is history at Rogers Place as well; when Edmonton first hosted the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, it was a Canada-Sweden matchup in the final. Sasha Mutala and Alexis Lafrenière had two goals each in that game as the Canadians erased an early two-goal deficit to earn a 6-2 win and home-ice gold.

All-time record: Canada leads 17-3 (1-1 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 86
Sweden goals: 43

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team is right back to action Tuesday at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, returning to the ice at Rogers Place to take on Slovakia in the second of three prelim games.

Last Game

The Canadians opened their schedule with a statement win Monday, blanking Switzerland 10-0. Cole Reschny led the offensive charge with two goals and three assists, Matthew Schaefer and Émile Guité chipped in with two goals and a helper apiece, and Jack Ivankovic turned aside all 20 shots he faced for the shutout.

Slovakia came up a goal short in a tournament-opening 4-3 overtime loss to Sweden on Monday afternoon, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort; the Slovaks scored twice in the final 8:45 to force an extra period. The Europeans spread around the offence; seven different players recorded points, while Michal Pradel was terrific in a losing effort, making 42 saves.

Last Meeting

The teams met five days ago in pre-tournament action in Edmonton, with Canada cruising to a 10-1 victory last Thursday. Braeden Cootes scored twice and added an assist, and Guité added a pair of goals for the Canadians, who scored early – two goals in the first 5:31 – and often.

The last tournament meeting came a year ago in Trencin, where Canada set its single-tournament summer U18 scoring record in a 14-4 victory. Michael Misa was the catalyst up front, recording two goals and four assists, while Ryder Ritchie scored a hat trick. In all, 16 Canadians recorded at least one point.

What to Watch

Canada has plenty of offensive weapons up front, and it was Reschny’s turn to step up Monday. The native of small-town Macklin, Saskatchewan (pop. 1,247) was terrific for the Victoria Royals this season, recording 59 points (21-38—59) in 61 games, good for fifth in WHL rookie scoring and third among 2007-born players (behind Team Canada teammates Gavin McKenna and Benjamin Kindel). Reschny wants Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold to complete his medal collection – he won silver with Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and bronze with the Saskatoon Blazers at the 2023 Men’s U18 National Club Championship, where he also earned Top Forward honours.

Andreas Straka is bound for North America this season after being selected fourth overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Quebec Remparts. Straka had quite a 2023-24 season with HK Poprad, making his debut in the Slovak Extraliga as a 16-year-old and representing Slovakia as an underager at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship, recording three points (1-2—3) in seven games. The Slovak roster also include a familiar name in Adam Nemec; his brother, Simon, was the No. 2 pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 2022 NHL Draft. Nemec is a forward, unlike his brother, who posted 57 points (28-29—57) in 43 games HK Nitra in the Slovak U20 league, and, like Straka, made his Extraliga debut, getting into three games with Nitra.

A Look Back

Canada has been absolutely perfect against Slovakia, winning all 18 meetings dating back to 1997.

The 2016 matchup was the lone game to go past 60 minutes; in that one, Maxime Comtois scored his second goal of the game 4:31 into overtime to help Canada stymie a Slovak comeback and earn a tournament-opening 3-2 victory.

All-time record: Canada leads 18-0 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 109
Slovakia goals: 33

Canada’s National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team gets its quest for a 25th summer U18 gold medal underway Monday night when it takes on Switzerland in its preliminary-round opener at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Last Game

Canada finished its two-game pre-tournament schedule with a 6-4 loss to Czechia on Saturday. Cameron Schmidt scored a goal and set up another, briefly getting the Canadians even with eight minutes to go, but two goals in 10 seconds by the Czechs late in the third period was the difference.

The Swiss erased a two-goal deficit in their exhibition matchup, scoring five goals in less than 14 minutes in the third period to earn a 5-2 win over Germany. Florian Schenk led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Daniele Wagner added a goal and a helper.

Last Meeting

The teams met a year ago in the preliminary round in Trencin, Slovakia, a 5-0 win for Canada. Berkly Catton scored a pair of goals, Cole Beaudoin had a goal and an assist and Carter George made 12 saves to help the Canadians close out the prelims on a high.

The last meeting at the U18 level came in the spring in the preliminary round at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship. Porter Martone had a hat trick in that one, and Canada rode a seven-goal second period to an 8-1 victory.

What to Watch

After his performance at U18 Men’s Worlds in the spring, how can we start with anyone other than Gavin McKenna? The Whitehorse native rewrite the record book in Finland, setting Canadian record for goals (10) and points (20) in a single tournament, capped by a hat trick in the gold medal game to help Canada come from behind to beat the U.S. He wasn’t too bad in the regular season, posting 97 points (34-63—97) to earn CHL and WHL rookie of the year honours. So what does the 16-year-old do for an international encore?

Florian Schenk is a name that will soon be more familiar for Canadian hockey fans, at least those on the East Coast. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward will be plying his trade this season with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, who selected him at No, 7 in the CHL Import Draft last month. Schenk spent the 2023-24 campaign with SC Bern, posting 12 points (6-6—12) in nine games with the U17 team and 25 (8-17—25) in 42 games with the U20 team. He also had 17 points (6-11—17) in 22 international games with the Swiss U17 program.

A Look Back

Canada has owned the head-to-head history in summer under-18 competition, winning 17 of the 18 meetings. The lone Swiss victory was in the first of those 18, way back in 2001.

The Canadians have won the last three matchups without allowing a goal, a run that began with a 10-0 victory in Edmonton in the 2018 tournament opener, a game in which Peyton Krebs scored twice and added an assist, and Nolan Maier earned a 15-save shutout.

All-time record: Canada leads 17-1 (1-0 in OT/SO)
Canada goals: 102
Switzerland goals: 36